Your Hands Are Cold
by Bubblemage-creation
Summary: Colette spends her time after high school taking college classes and keeping the town library up and running. It's when she come across a strange book that things really hit the fan; and she still can't tell if she really likes it…or really hates it


**I know I have like several stories out, but this should only be a short fic, so don't expect much. I've mostly got it rated for language and slight violence, I don't know how I feel writing smut with Jack involved (lol)**

**Name:** Your hands Are Cold

**Fandom: **ROTG

**Setting: **Alternate universe  
**Rating: **T for language and violence (rating might change)

**Summary: **Colette spends her time after high school taking college classes and keeping the town library up and running. It's when she come across a strange book that things really hit the fan; and she still can't tell if she really likes it…or really hates it.

_**Chapter one: The first snowfall**_

The winter that overtook the town of Blakewood was not uncommon or unwelcomed in the least bit. It allowed children a week at most without school (so they'd all huddle onto main-street for sledding and whatnot) and gave the many shops leeway to close early (but not permanently, this sort of weather was common). Although no one took time to visit it much more, Colette had been given the pleasure and duty of opening and caring for the library that rested at the end of main street.

It was a fairly grandiose building, taking root within one of the older Victorian style buildings that had been eaten by time. Its outer color was a dingy grey (it'd been a pure black once upon a time) and the tower windows were decorated with frost and ill-guided snowball residue. The complete inner floor of the building was stripped of any single rooms, leaving the entryway to show a large circular desk in the center of the building with shelves of books leading to it from all direction, the base floor completely open. Beside the desk, there rested a staircase the spiraled to the upper floor, the columns that held it's structure converted into shelves with old items and knick-knacks (an old typewriter rested at the base and a bust of pallas several spots upward).

The staircase, of course, led to the upper landing that was more so a reference section then anything with a large globe and map sitting within the tower, newspaper clippings about the town decorating the wall. Aside from the large reference section, there was a small room that was dedicated to cassette tapes as well as a small projector that was playing a random Christmas movie to the few children that were there to watch it, because not everyone enjoyed the cold weather.

Positive that no one would be checking out any books anytime soon, Colette grasped the basket of turned in books and made her way down a random isle of book, stacking them where the labels indicated. Had it not been for the glimmer that protruded from the back wall, Colette most likely would've never gone near it. It wasn't as if the back shelf was haunted (heavens no) it was just that the older dated books rested there, and rarely anyone wanted to read Pride and Prejudice (she read it though, every year). Placing the basket on the floor to her right, she walked around it, toward the shelf and let her finger run down the spine of the book; scrunching her nose as the dust collected onto her finger.

"I swear...the more I clean this place, the more dusty it gets." Huffing, she'd only just gripped the book before the sound of a bell ringing had her turning and make her way back to the desk.

"And what book would you be getting today Lydia?" The girl in question pushed her glasses further up her nose and shrugged, her dirty blonde hair hanging over her shoulder in a braid.

"Just Lovecraft today, Colette.." Lydia remarked in a light and airy voice.

"Not going to enjoy the snow today? Thought you loved winter." she asked after a few moments. Colette looked up and shrugged lightly then, stamping the book and holding it out to her friend.

"I love the snow, but I think I love books a little more. Besides, there are some kids upstairs watching a movie I have to look over." Blowing a strand of black hair from her face, Collette waved her hand in a nonchalant manner, before grinning.

"I'm pretty sure it ends around an hour, so we can go out for hot chocolate and talk over the last Harry Potter book if you want."

"Pffft, yeah of course. Nerd." Laughing, Lydia waved to her friend just as she turned and made her way out of the library, Lovecraft tome in hand. Dragging a hand through her shoulder length locks, Colette leaned onto the desk and let her eyes wander to the other three bins she'd have to re-stock. Pursing her lips in a thoughtful manner, she turned her head slightly to look at the shelf the book she was hoping to look at was rested, and against her better judgement jumped over the desk and made her way up the steps the usher the kids out, telling them to enjoy the snow as she shut off the movie and walked them out of the library.

"Come back tomorrow and finish it alright? I have alot of work to do." Waving at the children, she closed and locked the door behind them before going about and making sure the windows and blinds were shut. Turning the brightness of the lights up, she made her way to the back shelf and quickly grasped the book before dropping herself into a seated position and rested her back against the shelf. Taking a breath to calm her nerves (she was extremely excited for some odd reason), she opened the book and quickly looked over the contents.

There were several seconds where she wanted to stop and read about Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, but the story of Sandy immediately caught her attention, and the first thirty minutes of the book clutched within her paper cut ridden hands was spent reading about him. It wasn't as if she wasn't familiar with the persona, her father had said it many times when she was younger, but actually taking in and reading his supposed history and endeavors had her grinning and bouncing in her spot.

The moment after she'd flipped the page to the next chapter that was supposed to be "Pitch" she found a collection of pages missing; seemingly torn from the book in a haste. Pursing her lips, Colette huffed slightly before holding the book upside down and shaking it, hoping for some papers to fall from it. It took her several seconds of searching on the shelf where it rested before going on to read about the Easter Bunny. At first she was going to skip him all together and put the book back (she knew enough about everyone at this point) but it wasn't until she turned to the last page and read the scrawl in horrible handwriting that said:

"_Believing is Seeing." _

that she decided to go back and read the other guardians she'd missed. If believing was seeing, then surely something out of the ordinary would happen, right? At this point Colette found herself scoffing before placing the book back on the shelf. Dusting her jeans off she rose, throwing one last look at the book over her shoulder before promptly tripping and kissing the marble floor.

"What the heck.." Rubbing her nose, she sat up on her knees and looked about her before glaring at the air around her. Standing back at her feet she made her way to the desk to grab her jacket and bag; pulling the keys from her pocket to lock the library door behind her. The burst of cold air that rushed to meet her warm face had her immediately bristling and scrambling to pull the collar of her jacket up further around her face. Stepping forward she took notice of the several children running around and calling out the name "Jack". Grinning, she took a step toward the children, leaning down to help one up that had fallen due to a particularly harsh snowball.

"You alright there?" he frantically nodded as he stood, brushing the snow from his face as he grinned.

"Just playing with Jack Frost." he replied as he pointed behind her. Grinning Colette turned her head to take in the other child that seemed to be patiently waiting for his friends return.

"Weird name for a kid though."

"Oh, that's not Jack. The tall one in the hoodie is Jack." Raising an eyebrow at his antics, Colette turned once more, and looked about for the supposed "Jack' frowning when no one came to view.

"I don't see him."

"He's right behind you, honest. I'm not lying."

"Didn't say you were lying…do you think he can hear me?" The child in mention shrugged.

"He says he can, so I guess say what you want." Colette paused for a moment, thinking she would indulge a little, the chances of anything actually happening were slim of course.

"I don't have anything in particular to say actually..." Standing, she waved at the air before her and patted the child's head before setting off. It wasn't until she turned her head slightly that she saw a tuft of white hair disappearing behind a building, the children in tow.

(***~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Lydia had been seated by the window in the small bakery called "Sweet Disposition". Her hands seemed to be grasping the mug of hot cocoa in a loose manner, and her eyes were roaming the assortment of cookies resting before her. She bristled when Colette entered the cafe and made a beeline toward her table.

"What made you take so long! I've been waiting...ugh...rude.." Laughing, Colette bowed her head in a mock form of apology before shrugging off her jacket and taking a seat across from her friend.

"So I found this book right.." She said around a mouth of cookie, gesturing with her free hand.

"And it's like this really worn out black book with gold lettering..."

"You think its a donation-?" Lydia quickly supplied before taking a sip of her hot drink.  
"It could be, regardless it's a hulking book, kinda like an Atlas."

"You read it?"

"More like skimmed through it, it'd take me a day or two to actually go through and read the whole damn thing." Sighing, Colette plopped the rest of the cookie into her mouth just as a the waitress came forward to ask her what she would like to drink.

"So, being that you skimmed through it, exactly what's it about?" Colette paused for a moment, if only to think of the best way to sum up her readings, before opening her mouth and closing it once more. Humming in thought, she shrugged.

"It's kinda hard to explain..."

"Oh really-?" Lydia supplied in an annoyed manner.

"You mean to tell me, you were late because you skimmed some book and you can't even summarize it in a sentence? Bull." Colette shrugged her shoulders, and took to drawing circles on the table with her finger; and when the waitress came forth with her hot cup of coca, she stared into the dark liquid.

"Okay, but don't get too weirded out."

"I'm friends with you, it can't be that bad..." Taking in a deep breath, Colette proceeded to tell her friend what she'd read. Speaking however easily she could about the whole guardians issue and about whatever backstory of theirs she had in her memory that she could muster forth. Overall it'd taken several long minutes to get the whole story out, and by the time she was pushing ten minutes, Colette was babbling about how ludicrous the whole idea was in all before coming to a stop at a sigh.

"Well then."

"Yep..."

"So...the Easter kangaroo-"

"Bunny." Colette quickly cut off her friend.

"But you said he looked like a kangaroo.."

"Yea but he hates it when people point that out."

"Uh-huh...so he's the Easter bunny. And the tooth-fairy-"

"She goes by Toothiana, or just Tooth." Colette supplied once more.

"Dang it stop cutting me off! UGH, any who. So they're pretty much those things we heard stories about when we were little, but only slightly glorified?"

"If you say it like that, then yea."

"And you believe in this...thing?"

"I don't see why not. If I'm going to have faith in anything, why not this-?"

"...Point taken. When you finish with the atlas let me read it. Maybe we all need some good faith or something."

"...For the night is dark and full of terrors..." Lydia nodded in agreement, the pair clinking their mugs together before spending the next hour talking about anything and everything.

(~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~)

The bakery/cafe was well beyond ready for closing when the pair waltz out from its warm interior into the cold of the town. Lydia had quickly said her goodbyes, mumbling something about having to catch her show before bounding down the street to her car. She'd of course offered her friend a ride, but Colette had declined, saying she took pleasure in riding her bike through the snow.

Colette was in the midst of unlocking the bike chain when a particularly gust of chill air smacked into her. Teeth chattering, she mumbled a curse beneath her breath before unwrapping the chain from the bike wheel, and seating herself upon it.

"Stupid Jack Frost...stupid snow...stupid teenage angst ugh.." Huffing, she gripped the handlebars of the bike and set to pedaling forward; or she had attempted to before swerving to avoid a figure. Sitting on her knees and watching the wheel of her bike roll down the road, she quickly shouted out a curse before turning to the figure she'd only narrowly just avoided.

"Listen here you overgrown piece of shit walnut!"

"You can see me?" Colette paused then, blowing a strand of her face to gaze up at the hooded figure.

"Is this a trick question? Are you retarded?"

"Wait, what?"

"Of course I can see you, I crashed my bike to avoid you. What kind of dumbass question is that? And why the heck are you barefoot?" There was a pause from the male across from her, before he pulled the hoodie from his head, exposing pale skin, white hair, and stark blue eyes.

"I'm Jack...Jack frost."


End file.
